Eating You Words 2010 Challenge: The Prize!

Another surprise . . . Egg-leskivers

Are you on the edge of your seat yet? Has the wait to learn the prize for Eating Your Words 2010 been a persistent flame, raising the anticipation to a boiling point, until you're just about ready to explode with excitement?

Well, simmer down because the time has come for me and Jennifer of Savor the Thyme to make the announcement . . .

But first, I must say that the encouraging comments we've received so far have been wonderful, and proving that the language of food is global, many responses have come from Europe, Australia, Asia and South America. Too often, Jennifer and I have read of the disappointment expressed by non-US bloggers that they are not eligible for contest prizes, although, to their amazing credit, they still participate with as much enthusiasm as if they were. This time, we want to put the prize within reach of everyone, so we are thrilled to announce that Eating Your Words 2010 is open to ALL participants! We'll ship the prize to the winner, whether he or she is in Manila, Philippines or Manila, Arkansas (yes, there is such a place).

Oh, yes - the prize . . .

While you might have been perfectly satisfied with the admiration of your fellow bloggers and accolades from the general public, it's always nice to get something a little more tangible. So, how about a very tangible, six-and-a-half pounds of solid, Minnesota-forged cast iron?

With great pleasure, Jennifer and I announce that the prize for Eating Your Words 2010 is a gorgeous aebleskiver pan, courtesy of Aunt Else's Aebleskiver! This heirloom quality piece of cookware is made right here in Minneapolis and was specially designed for the company, based on an original pan owned by its namesake and passed down through generations of her family.

It is no secret that I am a devoted fan of Aunt Else's Aebleskiver; last summer, I was thrilled to receive my very own pande from Chad Gillard, president of the company. I also had an opportunity to watch him and two of his co-founders, Sarah Engwall and Lisa Timek, demonstrate its use and was enthralled by how deftly they turned simple batter into fluffy, perfect little spheres of edible delight. The story behind Aunt Else's Aebleskiver is also a tale of how the closeness of family and the deep ties of friendship compose a solid foundation for a successful business. If you'd like to learn more about Chad, Sarah, Lisa and the company they are working hard to build, read their story at Full Circles: Aunt Else's Aebleskiver.

Lest you think that this cookware is just another pretty pan, I'm happy to show off its 'talent'. The pan's versatility is limited only by the scope of your imagination in creating batters and fillings. There's the classic aebleskiver, the traditional Danish pancake ball filled with apple slices and dusted with powdered sugar:

You could fill them with jams, jellies and sauces, or else cook them up plain and then top with your favorites . . .

. . . . or roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve with a demitasse of rich cocoa.

Many aebleskiver batter recipes are very similar to standard pancake batters - that is, depending on what you're idea of a 'standard pancake' is! In other countries with similar pans, such as Thailand's kanom krok, or Indian paniyaram, the mixture is often made with rice flour, giving the end result a soft yet slightly chewier texture. Here's my take on a Danish-Asian fusion pancake ball, embraced by sweet cocojam [click on photo for recipes].

But who's to say that only a batter can be cooked up in an aebleskiver pan? Not me! One morning, I had a hankering for eggs and when I spotted my pan, a light turned on in the attic:

Egg-leskivers!

There's not much to it: prepare your favorite omelette recipe, decreasing the amount of milk by about half (if you use it, like I do) to allow the eggleskivers to hold their shape. Instead of oil, I put a small bit of butter in each well and then pour the omelette mixture immediately, before the butter starts to brown too much. Add fillings such as cheese, ham or sausages (these will also help the 'skivers hold their round form), and continue to cook as you would regular aebleskiver.

If you had this pan, what sorts of 'skivers would you make?

During the Eating Your Words 2010 challenge, Aunt Else's Aebleskiver is offering a 10% discount for any purchases made at their store. So if you can't wait to get a pan of your own, please head over to www.AuntElse.com, check out their wonderful products and enter the code "EYW" during checkout to receive your discount!

We all know that food engages the five physical senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste; now, we can add a sixth sense - fun! Jennifer and I hope that you will join us for Eating Your Words 2010 - just let your food do the talking . . .

To enter:

1. 'Write, spell or draw' using food or drink, and create a blog post about it by midnight on Wednesday, March 31st. We will accept any previous blog posts.

2. Blog about your creation, including photos, and add a link back to Savor the Thyme (http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com) and Tangled Noodle (http://tanglednoodle.blogspot.com). If you'd like, feel free to grab the badge below and place it in your post!

3. Send an e-mail titled 'Eating Your Words 2010'  with the following information to eatingyourwords10@cox.net:

• Your name
• The name of your blog
• The name of your dish or drink
• The link to your blog entry and a photograph of the dish or drink
• Entries must be received by midnight March 31, 2010

You can still participate even if you don't have a blog at all. Simply e-mail the above information minus the blog details and we'll include it in the round up.

4. Please keep it clean! Appropriate humor is always welcome.

Please stay tuned for more exciting announcements about Eating Your Words 2010!
Update: Such a great prize deserves a great judge. Who better than the man whose adventures in eating around the globe is one of the most popular food shows on television? Our special guest judge is
Chef Andrew Zimmern!